Our mission
Fertility Matters Canada is the national voice and champion for the fertility and family-building community. Grounded in lived experience, we give people the resources and support to make confident decisions, wherever they are in their journey. We advocate for fertility care to be recognized as essential healthcare and work to close the gaps that keep it out of reach.
Our vision
A Canada where no one faces the fertility and family-building journey alone.
What we do
One in six Canadian adults will face infertility in their lifetime. Many more, including members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, single parents by choice, and those need fertility care to build their families. Fertility Matters Canada is a place to start.
We explain the options. Trusted, plain-language information on fertility, treatment and public funding in each province and territory.
We connect people. Support groups, real stories from our community, and a directory of clinics and professionals.
We work to change the system. We bring patient experience to governments and employers so fertility care is easier to access and afford.
Our evolution
Fertility Matters Canada has supported people through fertility and family-building in Canada for more than 40 years.
We began in 1983 as the Infertility Self-Help Support Group, a volunteer group in Ottawa. In 1990 it became the Infertility Awareness Association of Canada (IAAC), a national organization offering support, education and a voice for patients. In 2007, IAAC launched Canadian Infertility Awareness Week and pressed for patient representation on the new federal agency overseeing assisted human reproduction.
In 2015, IAAC became Fertility Matters Canada. A new brand followed in 2021, along with the first Fertility Matters 6K. In 2023, the awareness week became Canadian Fertility Awareness Week to welcome everyone building a family, and FMC launched the Fertility in Focus podcast and the Fertility Matters Awards.
Our advocacy has grown with us: a brief to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health in 2024, a national campaign during the 2025 federal election, and in 2026 a call on federal, provincial and territorial health ministers to make fertility care a priority. FMC is also co-creating fertility resources with Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, with funding from Health Canada's Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund.
Our strategic plan
In August 2026, our Board of Directors approved the 2026–2029 Strategic Plan. Four priorities guide our work:
- Making Fertility Visible: cultivating understanding of the fertility and family-building experience
- Navigating the Journey: building Canada's comprehensive fertility and family-building resource hub
- A Voice for All: driving national change in fertility and family-building care
- Unlocking Growth: strengthening our organizational foundations
We set ourselves apart from other fertility charities by taking a comprehensive, patient-centered approach to understanding fertility in Canada.
